Curriculum Overview 4th grade

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Elementary Curriculum Overview September 2012

FOURTH GRADE

Board of Education James Ptucha, President Frank Grimaldi, Vice President Diana Acampora Betty DeSabato Eric Geringswald David Kaston Paul Peller, M.D.

Central Office Administration

Kelly Fallon, Superintendent Dr. Patrick Harrigan Assistant Superintendent for District-wide Administration Mary A. Rettaliata, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Anne Marie Marrone Caliendo, Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Facilities John O’Farrell, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education

Elementary Schools Chestnut Hill Forest Park Otsego Paumanok Signal Hill Sunquam Vanderbilt

Chad Snyder, Principal Ross Diener, Principal Stacey Gillespie, Principal Kendra Cooper, Principal Deborah Ostrosky, Principal Karen Littell, Principal Martin Boettcher, Principal

September 2012 Dear Parents: The Half Hollow Hills School District’s mission is to create a learning environment that:  sets the highest expectations for all students, teachers, and the community  is motivating, fully engaging, orderly, and safe  engages all students, teachers, and the community in an active committed effort to help each member use his or her intellectual, social, and physical capacities to achieve personal goals in ways that foster the success of our global society.

An education is a collaborative effort between school and the home. I hope this guide will provide parents with resources to become collaborative partners with our school community.

As you are aware, in recent years we have made every effort to provide as much parent information as possible online. This document is now available on our district website.

Sincerely, Kelly Fallon

Welcome

This guide provides parents with an overview of the kindergarten curriculum and the skills the students will acquire in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Additionally, it will serve as a resource in helping you to understand the total elementary instructional program. While our goals, expectations, and aspirations are the same for all of our students, we recognize that children develop at different rates socially, emotionally, and academically.

Our program is supportive and nurturing, and it will also excite, motivate, and challenge all students to achieve.

English Language Arts New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy

Reading Literature and Informational Text Reading Foundation al Skills Writing Listening and Speaking Language

By the end of the fourth grade year, students should be able to: Reading           

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Select books on an appropriate level based on personal needs and interests, for reading at school and home Read a variety of literary and informational materials (e.g., books, magazines, documents, reference materials) Learn new words and literary language daily from reading and book discussions Read aloud with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression Read silently and independently for sustained periods with comprehension Use strategies to monitor understanding, decipher unfamiliar words and self -correct Show evidence of understanding texts through writing and during classroom discussions Relate new ideas and information in books to prior knowledge and experience Describe the personalities of characters and explain their actions, using supporting evidence from the text Compare and contrast characters, settings, and similar themes or ideas from two or more sources Compare different types of literature and genres (including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama)

Writing  

Listening and Speaking in whole class, small groups and one-to-one

conversations     

Take notes to collect information, identify key ideas, and recall important details Present short oral reports, using at least two sources of information Paraphrase and synthesize information and ask probing questions to further understanding and contribute to the discussion Express opinions and back them up with details, examples and/or reasons Listen respectfully and respond thoughtfully to comments and questions, using details and examples

English Language Arts

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Write daily for extended periods on self-selected topics and in all subject areas Write in order to:  Convey ideas and information from two sources, using appropriate vocabulary; facts and details; and clear organization  Share an opinion on a topic or text using reasons and information to support a point of view  Respond to literature, showing an understanding of the story, setting and characters, by referring to text  Share written stories, which include interesting situations, details and descriptions  Plan writing using notes, maps and other organizational aids  Choose vivid and precise words and details that establish a mood in order to keep a reader interested  Revise own written work to make it more interesting and easier to understand  Spell most words correctly and use correct grammar and punctuation Write in a variety of genres

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Mathematics New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematics In Grade 4, instructional time will focus on three critical areas: (1) developing understanding and fluency with multi-digit multiplication, and developing understanding of dividing to find quotients involving multi-digit dividends; (2) developing an understanding of fraction equivalence, addition and subtraction of fractions with like denominators, and multiplication of fractions by whole numbers; (3) understanding that geometric figures can be analyzed and classified based on their properties, such as having parallel sides, perpendicular sides, particular angle measures, and symmetry.

The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe varieties of expertise that all students are expected to develop. These practices rest on important “processes and proficiencies� with longstanding importance in mathematics education.

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them 2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively 3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others 4. Model with mathematics 5. Use appropriate tools strategically 6. Attend to precision 7. Look for and make use of structure 8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

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By the end of fourth grade year, students will be able to: Operations and Algebraic Thinking Domain   

Use the four operations with whole numbers to solve problems Gain familiarity with factors and multiples Generate and analyze patterns

Number and Operations in Base Ten Domain Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic

Number & Operations in Fractions Domain   

Extend understanding of fraction equivalence and ordering Build fractions from unit fractions by applying and extending previous understandings of operations on whole numbers Understand decimal notation for fractions, and compare decimal fractions

Mathematics

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Geometry Strand    

Identify, describe, and classify lines, line segments, rays, angles, triangles, and quadrilaterals Identify, describe, and classify three-dimensional objects and figures Estimate and determine perimeter and area Identify and name polygons

Measurement Strand   

Estimate, measure, and convert length, capacity, weight, and mass using customary and metric units Tell time to the nearest minute and compute elapsed time to the nearest hour, half hour, days, and weeks (not crossing AM and PM) Make change, using combined coins and dollar amounts

Statistics and Probability Strand 

Collect, organize, display, and interpret data using tallies, frequency tables, pictographs, bar graphs, and line graphs

Problem Solving Strand   

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Solve word problems and check answers for reasonableness and completeness Use problem solving strategies appropriately Communicate reasoning in a clear and logical way (oral and written)

Science

By the end of the fourth grade year, students should be able to: Scientific Inquiry      

Ask questions and formulate hypotheses Use measurement and graphing tools Make and record observations Make analyses and draw conclusions Collect and classify data Use variables to conduct a scientific investigation

Mathematics/ Science

New York State Stands for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Students will:  Use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and technological design to pose questions, seek answers, develop solutions  Access, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies  Understand mathematical concepts and principles, communicate and reason mathematically, and apply mathematics to real-world settings  Understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories  Understand technological concepts and apply technological knowledge and skills  Understand the relationships and common themes connecting mathematics, science, and technology  Apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions

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The Physical Setting: Electricity & Magnetism     

Describe a variety of forms of energy (ex: heat, chemical, light and mechanical) and the changes that occur in objects when they interact with those forms of energy Observe the way one form of energy can be transferred into another form of energy present in common situations Describe chemical and physical changes, including changes in states of matter Discover magnetic fields and variations in the strength of magnetic forces Build series and parallel circuits to discover how electricity flows through objects

The Living Environment: Animals        

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Distinguish between living and nonliving things Recognize and interpret the kingdom of animals and understand the classification Explain and illustrate energy transformations including photosynthesis, food chains, and food webs Investigate food chains and food webs and construct models or drawings to illustrate the flow of energy (producers, consumers, decomposers) Explain the consequences of a shift in the balance in a food chain or food web Recognize inter-relationships between predators and prey in the food chain Understand how animals adapt to their environment and the effects on survival in past and present species Observe and describe habitats, niches, and ecosystems and how environmental changes affect the objects and organisms within those ecosystems

The Living Environment: Human Impact on the Environment    

Explain how humans depend on their natural environment Identify ways humans change their environment Students will examine ways humans have negatively impacted the environment Students will investigate ways humans can reverse some of their negative Effects on the environment

Experimental Design and the Scientific Method

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Identify and research a problem in school or society Design and conduct an experiment that will provide insight into the problem Identify the steps of the scientific method Understand that scientists use the steps of the scientific method to gain knowledge of the world around us Research various examples of real-world science in action Use the scientific method to solve a problem Produce a laboratory report that discusses their findings

Science

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Social Studies

By the end of the fourth grade, students should be able to: History      

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Identify Native American Indians as the first inhabitants of our region and state Explain how Native American Indian settlements were influenced by geographic and environmental factors Describe the accomplishments and contributions of the Iroquois, Algonquian, and other Native American Indians in our community, region, and state Identify the major explorers of New York State and describe the social, cultural, economic, political, and geographic impact of exploration and colonization Develop an awareness of the various influences and contributions of the Dutch, English, and French settlers of New York Identify important individuals and their contributions to the history and development of our community, region, and state

Science/ Social Studies

New York State Standards for Social Studies Students will:  Understand the major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.  Understand the major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history, examining these from a variety of perspectives  Understand the geography of our interdependent world from local, national and global perspectives  Understand how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions  Understand the governmental system of the United States and other nations, the United States Constitution, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship

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Understand the social, political, and economic causes of the American Revolution Describe the role played by New York State in the Revolutionary War Identify the leaders of the American Revolution Explain the effects of the Revolutionary War Develop an awareness of the roots of American culture, values, and traditions developed from a variety of groups and backgrounds Recognize the important contributions of immigrants to New York State Geographic influences of industrialization and expansion

Geography  

Explore the geography of New York State and our local region Understand the significance of New York’s geographic location in the Revolutionary War and in the early development of the new nation

Economics  

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Understand the concept of economic interdependence Understand that Colonial societies were organized to answer three fundamental economic questions:  What goods and services do we produce?  How do we produce them?  For whom do we produce them?

Understand that the economic and scientific/technological life in the colonies changed over time Recognize that in our local region and state, there were many different ways of making a living during colonial times Understand the labor movement and child labor

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Civics, Government, and Citizenship     

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Social Studies

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Understand basic democratic values (e.g., rights to life, liberty, property) Understand fundamental American values as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, Pledge of Allegiance, speeches, songs, and stories Understand that the basic purpose of government is to protect the rights of individuals and promote the common good Develop an awareness of the rules and responsibilities of citizenship in the classroom, school, home, and community Understand that citizenship include an awareness of holidays, celebrations, and the symbols of our nation, including the flag of the United States The slave trade carried enslaved people from Africa to the thirteen colonies; the slaves did many of the same jobs as the European colonists and free African Americans In colonial New York, the New York Assembly was elected by some New Yorkers, but governors were appointed by the British government Understand that citizens can participate in political decision making and problem solving at the local, state, and national levels

Assessments Assessment is a process for gathering information to meet a variety of evaluation needs. Educators collect and organize information or data to demonstrate the growth that each child makes in academic areas. Teachers use a variety of assessment tools, formally and informally, to determine where a child is in his developmental growth. Assessment is an integral part of the curriculum.

All fourth grade students throughout New York State must participate in the following learning standards assessments: -NYS English Language Arts (ELA) - Test given in April -NYS Mathematics - Test given in April -NYS Science - Test given in May/June In Half Hollow Hills, all fourth grade students take an ELA and math pretest and they are individually assessed with the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) in the fall and spring semesters.

Specials The following programs enrich the classroom experience and are provided on a weekly basis for all students:  Art  Music  Library  Physical Education (two times a week)

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Additional Services

Additional Programs   

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Music Lessons – available to all students beginning in third grade for strings and in fourth grade for band instruments Orchestra – available to students in fourth and fifth grade Band – available to students in fourth and fifth grade

Assessments/ Specials

The following personnel and/or services are available to students on an “as needed” basis:  School Nurse  School Psychologist  Speech and Language  Reading support  Resource room  Occupational and Physical Therapy  ELL (English Language Learning)

Elementary School Online Resources

Many of these sites are available through the HHH Website http://www.hhh.k12.ny.us Choose your school and click on the link for “Library and Media Center” Almanacs  http://www.farmersalmanac.com/ - Farmers Almanac.com  http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/ - Yahooligans Kids’ Almanac  http://www.factmonster.com/almanacs.html - Fact Monster Almanac  http://www.infoplease.com/almanacs.html?link=hptab – Site to search all Info Please almanacs, or search individual almanacs by subject Authors  http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/askauthor/- Learn more about some of your favorite authors Biographies  http://www.biography.com/ - Search over 25,000 of the greatest lives, past and present  http://www.s9.com/biography/ - This biographical dictionary covers more than 28,000 notable men and women who have shaped our world from ancient times to the present day Calendars  http://www3.kumc.edu/diversity/ - Diversity Calendar  http://www.earthcalendar.net/ - Calendar of celebrations by month: Earth Calendar Current Events  http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/ - Time For kids brings the latest news of the world to you

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Dictionaries  http://www.m-w.com/dictionary.htm - Merriam Webster Dictionary Online  http://nhd.heinle.com/ - Newbury House online Dictionary  http://www.yourdictionary.com/ - Provides more than 1,800 dictionaries with more than 250 languages  http://www.yourdictionary.com/languages.html – Language Translation Dictionaries

Quotations  http://www.bartleby.com/100/ - Bartlett’s Quotations Ecology-Animals and their environments  http://www.nwf.org/kids/ - Learn about animals and their environments Dinosaurs  http:/www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/dinosaur.html – Learn about dinosaurs Encyclopedias http://www.britannica.com/ - Includes the complete updated Encyclopedia Britannica  http://www.infoplease.com/ - Combines the contents of an encyclopedia, a dictionary, and several up-to-the-minute almanacs  http://www.encyclopedia.com/ - Puts tons of information right at your fingertips 

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Online Resources

Thesauri  http://www.bartleby.com/62/ - Roget’s Thesaurus  http://www.thesaurus.com/ - Basic-type in a word, choose thesaurus (online version of Roget’s) or dictionary and search  http://www.m-w.com/dictionary.htm - Merriam Webster Thesaurus Online

Field Trips  http://www.ringling.com/ - Visit the circus  http://www.bronxzoo.com/ - Visit the Bronx Zoo  http://www.seaworld.com/ - Visit Sea World  http://www.sandiegozoo.org - Visit the San Diego Zoo  http://www.amnh.org/home/ - Visit the American Museum of Natural History Geography  http://www.geographic.org/ – Country profiles  http://www.50states.com/- 50 states Government  http://bensguide.gpo.gov/ - This site provides learning tools for K-12 students, parents, and teachers about how our government works Presidents 

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http:/www.whitehouse.gov/kids/index.html You will find various information concerning different aspects of the White House http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/ -Election results, cabinet members, notable events, and some points of interest on each of the presidents.

Links to biographies, historical documents, audio and video files,and other presidential sites are included.

Homework Helpers  http://www.suffolk.lib.ny.us/youth/homework/kidindex.html - Suffolk Library System lists of helpers  http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/bjpinchbeck/index.html BJ Pinchbeck’s Homework help

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Search Sites for children:  http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick%21/ - Search for homework by subject area  http://www.askforkids.com/ – Ask Jeeves for Kids  http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/ – Yahoo for Kids  http://www.icyber.com/homeschool/olr.html - Home-School support  http://www.kidinfo.com/School_Subjects.html - Kid Info Just for Fun  http://www.seussville.com/ -Fun with Books by Dr. Seuss

Search Engines  http://www.askforkids.com/ – Good search engine for homework helpers has a spell check feature for questions  http://www.dogpile.com – Fun search engine, easy to use, lets you “fetch” information  http://www.yahooligans.yahoo.com – Nice current events page, easy format  http://www.google.com – Check out the kids and teen section in the web directory  http://www.discovery.com – Homework helper site for students  http://www.ipl.org/youth/ - The internet public library youth section  http://www.mamma.com/ - This search engine contains the web, videos, mp3, audio, news, and images  http://www.msn.com – This search engine features news and stock information  http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/ - Search for homework help  by subject area

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Online Resources

Reading Lists  http://kids.nypl.org/reading/recommended2.cfm?ListID=61 - This is a list of 100 picture books everyone should know for teachers  http://kids.nypl.org/reading/recommendedz.cfm?listID=61 Book Lists  http://www.carolhurst.com/titles/allreviewed.html – Find reviews of books you might like to read  http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/bestbooks.html - List of notable sites listed by the American Library Association

Social Studies  http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html - Hyper History presents 3000 years of history with a combination of color lifelines, timelines and maps Black History  http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/BHM/bh_hotlist.html Colonial America History Resources  http://pilgrims.net/ Pilgrims Plantation - Virtual tour –illustrating many aspects of life at the time Native Americans  http://www.hanksville.org/NAresources/ - Index of Native American Resources on the Internet Revolutionary War  http://www.ushistory.org/tour/index.html - This is a virtual tour of historic Philadelphia with great photos and information accompany you on this virtual tour  http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty - This is an online game prepared by PBS to test your Revolutionary War knowledge Western Movement  http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest - Oregon Trail  http://www.americanwest.com/trails/pages/oretrail.htm - California Gold Rush  http://www.ohenrymace.com/GRHA.html Remembering the Gold Rush History Alliance  http://www.lewis-clark.org/ - Explorers Lewis and Clark Women’s History  http://www.greatwomen.org/

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NOTES

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